Acorn Publishing: A look at the book industry through hybrid publishing

For many aspiring authors, the road to publication can be a bumpy road. The writing and publishing industry is constantly changing to adapt to new audiences, genres, social contexts and reading trends, and being a writer is especially difficult when it seems publishers are demanding new rules that dictate who can and cannot be a successful author.

While these conditions can be daunting for new writers, the good news is that the publishing industry has expanded to include other publishing venues. In these last yearsmany emerging writers turned to self-publishing Where independent publishers (“independents”). But these are not the only alternatives to traditional publishing.

Acorn Publishing, a Southern California-based company, offers a new path to authorship: hybrid publishing. According to their line to placehybrid publishing is a new approach to publishing that combines the benefits of traditional publishing with the freedoms of self-publishing.

Co-founders Jessica Therrien and Holly Kammier launched Acorn Publishing as an imprint to publish their own books, including Kammier’s 2015 novel “Kingston Court” and Therrien’s YA fantasy series “Children of the Gods,” both of which landed on the Barnes & Nobles Top 50 list for all fiction. After the success of their books, Therrien and Kammier decided to take advantage of “the widening gap between the world of traditional publishing and the wild frontier of self-publishing” and offer their services to other writers.

Books published by Acorn Publishing. (Image by Sydney Gaw)

Asked about the innovative method of publishing, Kammier shared that one of the main benefits of hybrid editing is that it gives writers a sense of control over their creative work – something that is often lost in the process of publishing. traditional edition.

“We think it’s really important for the writers to run the show because we understand this whole industry inside and out,” Kammier said. “Most importantly, we know what it’s like to be writers and to be vulnerable and get your work out there and how scary the process can be the first time you go through it.”

Being authors themselves, Kammier and Therrien wanted to ensure that their authors would have a say in every step of the editing process. Authors generally pay a lump sum in advance, which is based on the release package they choose and retain the rights to their work, says Kammier.

The whole process is a lot like hiring a contractor who oversees the production of a book and can offer insight into the work. While the Acorn Publishing team tackles the tedious and complex side of publishing – copy editing, acquiring cover designs, marketing – the writer is free to focus on their craft. This freedom allows authors to focus on writing their next book.

And, like most major publishing houses, Acorn Publishing accommodates a wide range of materials. According to them submission guidelines, they accept manuscripts of almost any genre. This inclusiveness is what makes fatherhood accessible, especially for young writers.

As an aspiring author, I was impressed to learn of the company’s experience in YA fiction, which is aimed at an audience of teenagers and young adults, and their support for what public-age authors submit manuscripts.

Kammier said Acorn Publishing is interested in representing young authors who are new to the writing and publishing industry.

“The idea of having high school students writing YA books, I think, would be very popular with readers,” Kammier said.

For those of us just beginning their writing careers, Acorn’s hybrid publishing model presents a seamless path to publication that puts writers and their comfort level in the process first. Despite the relatively new approach, Acorn Publishing’s successful experience proves that hybrid publishing offers endless opportunities.